Many urbanites will be heading back to their hometowns in these next few days with growing number, the Governments allowance for those celebrating Hari Raya can make the trip with approved permits.
With thousands already making their plans and traffic along the highway increasing, there are certain quarters who are concern of a second wave of an outbreak if any of a positive case patient affects someone back at a village. Datuk Noor Hisham, Deputy General at the Ministry of Health has advised Malaysian if possible not to go back, his fears came about after a pregnant lady in Kelantan was tested positive after going back from Kuala Lumpur. Apparently, this lady was from a red zone classification area and traveled to a green zone are in Kelantan.
Malaysia does not practice mass screening, MOH approach is cluster busting and contract tracing, it means the Ministry will only go after an area if there is high number of Covid 19 case is reported. So, the mass exodus which is taking place will not determine for sure if any of those returning back are positive or negative. A big risk, Malaysia is taking.
However, the Police are taking precautionary actions by intensifying roadblocks at five major highway exits out of the state mainly to curb unauthorised interstate movement. Selangor Police COVID-19 Special Op spokesman ACP Muhammad Yazid Muhammad Yew said the five roadblocks would be set up at the North South Expressway (PLUS) near the Tanjung Malim Toll Plaza (north-bound); PLUS near the Putra Mahkota Toll Plaza (south-bound); and North–South Expressway Central Link (Elite) near the Bandar Serania Toll Plaza (south-bound). “Anyone found making unauthorised interstate travel will be issued with a compound and ordered to turn back. All the roadblocks will be on the highways,” he told a press conference here today.
Even with roadblocks and police vigilance, there are reports on social media on how some have managed to make inter-state travel without documentation. Also the question raises how did the pregnant lady from the red zone make the journey out of KL to Kelantan, and where did she contract the virus from?
Covid 19 numbers in the country has been steadily decreasing, but with the opening of inter-state travel fears of a second wave is imminent as new clusters could pop up around the country and revert us back to a lockdown for a longer period this time.
